


Coming Home

by devoosha



Series: Klancemas 2019 [12]
Category: Voltron - Fandom, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Christmas Tree, Home, Klancemas 2019, M/M, Mistletoe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:34:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21955198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/devoosha/pseuds/devoosha
Summary: Keith brings Lance home for Christmas, but is he ready for the changes he finds?
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: Klancemas 2019 [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1559779
Comments: 3
Kudos: 58
Collections: Klance: Into the Multiverse, Klasix Master Collection





	Coming Home

**Author's Note:**

> Next installment of Klancemas 2019, using three prompts rolled into one!
> 
> December 20 - Tree  
> December 23 - Mistletoe  
> December 29 - Home

**Coming Home**

Keith was nervous.

To be fair, he’d brought this situation upon himself. 

And he was excited. No doubt about it, but he was also nervous.

His fingers gripped the steering wheel of his beat up, ancient Beetle. Not a new Beetle, but one from the sixties he and Shiro fixed up. The heater kind of worked? Sometimes. Today was a good day. In fact, was it overheating? Or was it Keith’s nerves making him sweat?

He figured nerves, because Lance looked comfortable in the passenger seat next to him. He wore a smile on his face, anyway, and remained bundled up in his puffy jacket and hand-knitted hat he’d made for himself. So it wasn’t too hot in the car. Nor was it too cold. It was just Keith.

Lance eagerly watched the scenery, humming along to the song on the radio. The Bug didn’t have a good stereo system, so they had to old school it for the two hour ride northeast to Keith’s home from their college. 

“It’s so much more rural!” Lance exclaimed.

“Yeah. Not too many big cities up here. A couple of decent sized ones, but nothing big. Our town is small.”

“That’s cool. I mean, Big Rapids is kind of small too. I like it. I’m so used to the bigness of Miami.”

“Nothing like Miami here,” Keith said, laughing.

“You mean I can’t go surfing this week?” Lance asked, turning his eyes to Keith. They sparkled with his amusement.

Keith spoke around his suddenly dry mouth. “Uh no. I mean, you can try, but I wouldn’t suggest it.”

Another silence fell as Lance turned his attention to the forest flashing by the car. Keith didn’t find the endless trees fascinating, but he realized Lance probably didn’t get to see this much, and it was quite different from Florida. 

“I love all these trees,” Lance said, his voice soft enough that Keith turned the radio down.

“What?”

“The trees. I love them. You’re so lucky to grow up here.”

“I guess,” Keith said. “It is nice for camping and hiking, for sure.”

“I love the beach and all, but it’s crowded in Miami. It’s not as bad in Cuba when we’ve been able to visit my abuelita. I like it there better. But there’s something so calming about all these woods.”

Keith never thought about it that way. Never really thought about the trees at all, to be honest. He liked them. He climbed them a lot as a kid. Loved playing out in the forest behind his house, pretending he was a pioneer from the old days, stalking prey to bring home to his family. The walks with his dad to collect sap from maple trees they had tapped in order to make their own syrup and maple sugar. 

“We have about ten acres,” Keith said. “If the snow’s not too bad, we can take a walk back in the woods.”

“Really?” Lance breathed. “I love the sound of that Keef.”

An unbidden smile came to his lips. Lance had used the nickname this morning and a few times since they left their dorm. He liked it; it gave him more of that fuzzy feeling in his brain when Lance said it. He hadn’t commented on it yet, and wasn’t sure if Lance was waiting for him to. He decided not to mention it, even as he racked his poor brain for something endearing to call Lance. He guessed they were at that point already.

As he had done with snow and winter, Lance was giving Keith a new look at his world through Lance’s eyes. He considered the drive home boring when he had to make it. Now, however? He could see the beauty of the evergreens lining the road, interspersed with bare trees, the ground under the trees drifted over with snow. It was beautiful.

Lance’s humming stopped. “So it’s just gonna be us and Shiro and his boyfriend?”

“Yep. Unless Shiro invites anyone, but he usually doesn’t.”

“What’s the deal with his boyfriend? They serious?”

“Yeah. Been together a couple of years, so far. They met in Shiro’s last year at school and started dating.”

“Do they live together?”

“No. Adam actually lives in Arizona. That’s where he’s from, and he moved back after graduation. I think he’s looking for work up here though. I’m sure he’ll move up here eventually.”

“Do you like him? I know you said he’s nice and all, but do you honestly like him?”

“Oh, yeah! I do. He’s perfect for Shiro and has always treated me really great. I haven’t seen him a lot. Shiro and he went to Saginaw Valley, which isn't that far from home. I went down one weekend too. I mean, they were all gross, of course…”

“Like us?” Lance interrupted.

Keith stopped talking, his mouth dropped open a little. Shit, he was as gross as Shiro and Adam were. Ugh. But it didn’t feel gross when he and Lance did lovey-dovey romantic stuff. Dammit. “Yeah, like us,” he said grudgingly.

Lance laughed and reached over to pat Keith on his thigh, but didn’t comment further.

* * *

“What the…” Keith gasped after he turned into the long driveway leading to the modest house in which Keith grew up. 

“What’s wrong?” Lance asked, leaning forward eagerly for this first glimpse of Keith’s home.

“There’s. There’s,” Keith stammered, as the car slowly came to a stop at the side of the house. “Decorations.”

Lance peered out the side window, fingertips pressed against the glass. His breath fogged the surface a little. “There’s a lot.”

“More than normal,” Keith said, then shut off the car. “Shiro usually puts a string of lights along the gutter. This. This is new.”

The single string of lights Shiro usually put up had morphed into several strands on every surface and tree available. Keith couldn’t wait to see how awful it looked when they turned on. For the moment, they were off as it was only noon. The noticeable difference was the multiple inflatables in the front yard, including a huge snow globe with fake snow whipping around the inside in a snow flurry. Large plastic candy canes lined the edge of the walkway leading to the door, which was graced with a huge wreath. 

“Wow, you didn’t say you get this into it!” Lance exclaimed.

“We don’t. I don’t know what this is.”

They got out of the car, retrieved their bags from the backseat, and by the time they turned to the house, the door at the side of the house swung open revealing Keith’s brother – all smiles and dressed in a monstrosity of a red Christmas sweater and wearing a Santa hat. What the hell was going on?

“Keith!” Shiro yelled, jumping onto the side porch and stomped down the stairs to gather Keith into a big bear hug.

“Oof!” Keith gasped. “Don’t break me, Shiro!”

Shiro let him go and turned to Lance. “You must be Lance,” he said, holding out his hand. 

“I am! Lance McClain, if Keith didn’t tell you.”

“Welcome to our home, Lance. I’m happy you could come with Keith.”

“Thank you so much for inviting me!”

“And you have to tell me what the deal is with this...” Keith said, gesturing to their front yard.

“Oh. Yeah. That.” Shiro rubbed at the back of his neck, giving Keith a sheepish look. “Adam did it. Or, he suggested it.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. I mean, it sounded nice when he talked about it. Most of this he shipped out from Arizona.”

“He shipped this all?” Keith asked.

“Um. Yeah. About that.”

“Shiro, what?”

“Let’s go inside. It’s too chilly out here. Lance, let me take your bag, since Keith isn’t being a gentleman.”

“Hey!” Keith objected.

“Well I wasn’t going to say anything,” Lance teased, handing over his bag to Shiro. “I guess I got the discourteous brother, huh?”

“That you did,” Shiro agreed, turning to lead the way into the house.

“Uh, I’m right here.”

The house was warm and inviting. Delicious smells assaulted their nostrils. It was almost too much, to be honest. Spices, cinnamon, cloves, pine, and something rich Keith couldn't place - it all mixed up to bombard the nose, just as the decorations inside bombarded Keith’s eyes. It was. Wow. Christmas decorations covered every surface. Garland, lights, snowmen, Santas, penguins, everything one could conceive. The reds, greens, golds, and silvers clashed in a chaotic order that almost made sense.

There was already a tree in front of the window, the usual spot, but this one was huge. Much bigger than they normally got for themselves. It had to have thousands of twinkling lights, and it looked as if a few packages of tinsel exploded on it. Their normal ornaments were hanging, but there were additional new ones. Throw rugs with Christmas themes, new red and gold curtains, and Christmas blankets completed the new look of their living room.

“Shiro, what the honest fuck? It looks like Bronner’s threw up in here!” Keith said faintly.

“Um, you like it? Adam decorated!”

“It’s. Very Christmassy.”

“I like it!” Lance said.

“Don’t lie,” Keith said, turning to him.

“I’m not, Keith!”

“Keith!”

They turned toward the entrance to the kitchen at the new voice. “Adam!” Keith said, then was surprised when Adam bounded over to him for a hug. He didn’t exactly not welcome it, but it was strange.

“Welcome home! I’m so glad you made it safe. And is this the boyfriend?” he asked, smiling at Lance.

“Uh, yeah. Adam, this is Lance. Lance, Adam.”

Keith expected them to shake hands, but Adam wasn’t about to let it go at that. He grabbed Lance for a hug and squeezed him tight. 

“Did Shiro tell you the big news?” Adam asked when he finally released Lance.

“No-ooo,” Keith drawled, glancing at Shiro, who suddenly looked more nervous than before. 

“The thing is, Keith. Adam found a job. Here. Over in Tawas.”

“Really Adam?” Keith exclaimed. He was happy, because he knew how hard Adam was working on trying to relocate to be closer to Shiro. “That’s awesome!”

“Thanks Keith!”

“So, I hope you don’t mind,” Shiro waffled, looking anxiously at Keith. “I asked Adam to move in.”

Keith blinked a couple of times. Did he mind? No. Not really. He genuinely liked Adam, of course. He made Shiro happy, anyway. But this was their home. His and Shiro’s. Was he ready to share it? But he didn’t really live here anymore.

“Wow! That’s a big step,” he said slowly, glancing at Lance. Lance returned his look with a sympathetic one. “No. No, I don’t mind.”

Both Shiro and Adam looked relieved. Keith supposed the transformation of their home was Adam’s doing. Shiro would have never done this much for the holiday. The awkward silence that settled on the room was broken when Adam said, “Are you boys hungry? I have some snacks set out in the kitchen. Don’t eat too much before dinner!”

“You made us dinner?” Lance asked, easily falling into step beside Adam as the two ventured into the kitchen. “That’s so nice of you.”

Shiro, who hadn’t moved, looked at Keith who also stood there as if rooted to the spot. He couldn’t take in all the details of the room; it was so overwhelming.

“Sorry I didn’t ask you first. It kind of happened fast. We talked about it when I was in Arizona, but he insisted on waiting until he found a job. Adam found out last week about the job, and I impulsively asked him to move in. He decided to move all his stuff when he came to visit. I know I should have talked to you first...”

“It’s ok, Shiro. Really.” Keith almost sounded convinced himself.

“You sure?”

“Yeah,” Keith said. “I mean, it’s a big change, but I’m not really home now and will be at college for a few more years. It’s ok.”

“This is always your home, Keith, whether you’re here or not.” Shiro drew in a deep breath, glanced at the kitchen where they could see Lance and Adam talking animatedly over some appetizers, then looked back at Keith. “I’m gonna propose on Christmas,” he said in a whisper.

Another huge change, and one he should have seen coming. “Wow.”

“I know, I know. I should have talked to you,” Shiro groaned, hiding his face in his hands.

“No, Shiro. I’m happy for you!” Keith assured him, placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Adam’s a great guy and he makes you really happy.”

Shiro peeked over his fingers. “Thanks, Keith. I mean it. You’ve always been great about Adam and he really likes you.”

“Get your butts in here!” Adam called.

* * *

“Mistletoe!” Adam sang, pointing above Keith and Lance’s head. 

Keith glanced up. Sure enough, a stalk of plastic greenery hung from the ceiling fan in the living room. A ceiling fan he happened to be standing under with Lance. It was evening, bellies were full of the delicious tikka masala Adam whipped up for dinner, and in spite of Keith and Lance being underage, they each held a glass of spiked eggnog in hand. 

“It’s the law, Keef,” Lance remarked with a shrug. Keith blushed as Lance bent to kiss him. He was embarrassed to do it in front of his brother and Adam. Shit, the grins on their faces he saw when Lance pulled away.

“Yeah yeah,” Keith mumbled. 

“Aw they are the cutest, Shiro! Aren’t they?” Adam gushed.

“Stop it,” Keith growled, then dragged Lance to the couch. 

“So I know you’re roommates and all, but I have to be the responsible older brother here and put Lance into the spare room. No sneaking into each other’s rooms in the middle of the night,” Shiro said, putting on his best lecture mode. “You can wait until you’re back in the dorm.”

“Oh my god, Shiro!” Keith yelled. 

“Shiro,” Adam said in a disappointed voice.

“No, Adam. I don’t want to be kept awake all night…”

“Honey, if that’s the case, then you get none of this,” Adam said, pausing to gesture at himself, “until they leave. We have to be courteous, too.”

Shiro’s mouth dropped open, then he snapped it shut as Lance and Keith started laughing. He frowned. “Ok. Sneak if you must, but I still insist on separate rooms.”

“I expected it, Shiro,” Lance spoke up. “It’s ok. Keith and I haven’t even done anything yet, anyway, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Lance!” Keith yelled.

“Sweetheart, you’re yelling so much today,” Lance said, patting him on the arm.

“Oh my god.”

* * *

The rest of the night was pretty mellow. They drank eggnog and all four got slightly buzzed on it and the rum balls Adam made. Keith still couldn’t quite acclimate to the sudden transformation of his home. He and Lance were constantly caught under mistletoe, which Adam apparently strung up all over the house, including the bathroom door. Giving Lance a kiss before closing the door to the bathroom was a little ridiculous. 

“How you feeling?” Lance asked him as he folded a couple of sweatshirts. Keith sat on Lance's bed in the spare room. He wanted a little time alone with his boyfriend before they went to bed.

Keith glanced at him, a little surprised at the question. “Good?” he said. Lance hummed as he shut the drawer to the dresser where he put his unpacked clothes. “What’s the hum for?” Keith asked suspiciously.

Lance shrugged as he crossed the room and sat on the bed next to Keith, causing the old bed to sag a little so that Keith leaned into him. “I just want to be sure you’re okay.”

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“There’s a lot of change here,” Lance explained, gesturing vaguely around to indicate the whole house. “I could see your eyes getting a little wild as you took it all in.”

“Was I obvious?”

“To me, yeah.”

Keith sighed and laid back on the bed, throwing his arms over his head. Lance followed suit, joining his hand with Keith above their heads. They lay there, silent, for a few minutes until Lance laughed. “What?”

With his free hand, Lance pointed upward. Above the bed hung another spring of mistletoe. “Looks like Adam was thinking ahead.”

Keith laughed too. “I wonder if Shiro knows about that one.”

“Probably not.”

“It’s a lot to adjust to,” Keith said suddenly. “Everything is different. Everything is changing. I almost feel like it’s not my home anymore.” He was embarrassed at how choked up he sounded.

“Hey,” Lance said, turning toward him, his free hand resting on Keith’s chest. Keith looked at him, drowning in the sympathetic eyes watching him. Lance’s hand reached up to caress his face. “I know it seems like it, but it’s not true. This is your home.”

“It doesn’t look like it.”

“Everything changes Keith. It’s not necessarily a bad thing.” Lance thought for a moment, his fingers resting lightly on his cheek. “I know it has to be hard to see changes, especially unexpected.”

“But?”

“There’s no but, sweetheart. It’s a fact.”

“That’s not comforting.”

“I don’t know what to say that’s comforting. Things change. It’s a part of life. I know your feelings are valid. I don’t know how I’d feel if I went home and saw a bunch of changes. Same as you, I’d imagine. I guess….I guess the important thing is accepting it.”

“I don’t want to,” Keith said, a little petulantly. He realized how selfish it sounded.

“Of course not,” Lance teased, giving him a little smile. “I know what a stubborn little bear you are.”

Keith snorted.

“My grouchy, stubborn, cute little bear,” Lance chanted, tapping Keith’s cheek.

Keith finally huffed out a weak laugh. “Stop.”

“Are you happy for Shiro?” Lance asked.

“Stupidly happy for him.”

“That’s all that matters, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Keith agreed. “And I don’t mind the changes. It’s just getting used to it.”

“That’s the spirit, grumpy bear,” Lance murmured. He moved his hand to Keith’s waist, grabbing on and pulling until Keith turned on the bed so they were facing each other. Their other hands were still joined above their head on the bed. “Now,” Lance added, jerking his head toward the ceiling and the innocent mistletoe. “It’s the law.”

Keith smiled, grateful for the amazing man lying next to him. Someone who understood him and didn’t lecture him about his feelings. Who validated his feelings, and showed him it was okay to feel a little angry at the changes. Who may not know what to say, but showed Keith he would listen. It meant more than anything did to him. 

“Well, I’m not one to break the law,” Keith agreed, closing their distance to latch eagerly onto those smiling lips. Changes were hard, but some changes were good. And Lance was the best change to come into his life and he was going to savor every moment of it.

**Author's Note:**

> The Bronner's mentioned is a real place. It's a HUGE Christmas store in Frankenmuth, Michigan. If you want Christmas overload, it's the place to go, which is why I have Keith say the place threw up in their home. 
> 
> Tawas is also a real place, and I have Keith's home near Whittemore (both in Michigan) as I'm familiar with the areas. I have family up there! I'm picturing Keith's home sort of like my grandmother's.


End file.
